


Coincidence

by erenkillthemall



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers Movie Night, Bucky is optimistic, Clint plays Mario Kart to much, Game Night, M/M, Sleepy Cuddles, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Steve Is a Good Bro, Thor has a great puppy face, Tony Angst, WinterIron Spring Fling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-07-10 16:26:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6995068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erenkillthemall/pseuds/erenkillthemall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmarks are the nickname that your soulmate will call you.<br/>Tony doesn't believe in the marks on his skin, when he hears then from James' mouth he claims it is nothing more than coincidence, he didn't need or deserve a soulmate anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coincidence

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NarutoRox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NarutoRox/gifts).



Soulmarks are meant to help you find your one true love. As a scientist Tony scoffed at the idea, as a person he shied away from it. The scientist in Tony saw these soulmarks that inked your skin as false only as tricks of the mind, but Tony the person looked at the two nicknames that covered his left bicep and over his arc reactor with longing. He had heard each, but never by the same person, Natasha called him Antoshka when comforting him but never Doll and Steve had once called him Doll in jest but never Antoshka. He knew the chances of him meeting his soulmate were very low, even lower for them to stick around once they saw who they were stick with. No one knew Tony's soulmarks he kept them covered, when his soulmarks first appeared he was so happy to have two, but Howard yelled until his voice was hoarse that a stark didn't need a soulmate, that he was to cover them up so the press never saw. He also claimed that Tony probably would be one of those souls that was called by his soulmarks but his own soulmate would belong to another. Tony grew up believing this, still did. Slipping on the familiar band of leather, tony pulled on a band tee and joined the others at 'team breakfast' or where tony would grab food to stop Steve from mother henning him all day and go back to his workshop.

"Tones, you have to play this Mario kart with me, Natasha wants to play too." Clint spoke up as soon as he saw Tony step in the room

"If I did that, your ego would never recover from me beating you." The brunet threw over his shoulder as he went to the coffee machine. "Hey broody you want some coffee or you going to just stare at the table today?" Tony looked at the new addition to the avengers, James snapped his head up to stare at Tony like he grew another head.

"What'd you just call me?" The table fell silent, Barnes didn't talk much or at all really just stared until you backed down from him.

"Broody, I could always call you mini cap if that's better." Tony shrugged not all that intimidated by the stare, he didn't walk on eggshells around the guy but Tony was known for his abrasive behavior.

"No, you don't call me in of those things ever." Barnes stared down the brunet, the rest of the occupants become tense and looked half ready to leap at the ex-assassin.

"Whatever you want buckaroo." Tony shrugged, nicknames slipped off his tongue as easy as breathing, he called everyone he knew at least two nicknames. Tony turned back to the machine "I'll take that as a no to the coffee." Stark filled his cup and made his escape to the workshop.

The meetings between bucky in the next months only happened in the mornings, Tony watched as the man grow confident in have his own skin, hair pulled up to show his face, laughing and talking with the team. But James seemed to keep their meeting to minimum or not at all, until his arm needed repair. Tony figured the man didn't like him, he didn't take it personally a lot of people didn't like him. So it surprised him when the man had come down to his workshop.

"Stark?" The music turned lower when Jarvis let James in

"Hm?" Tony turned his head "Are you here 'cause Cap can't get me to leave?" Steve had come down a few hours ago, or was it longer? Tony shrugged, the blond had tried to get Tony out or the lab.

"No?" The brunet was shuffling his feet, well being in close proximity with someone you didn't like can make someone shifty, but Tony put on his best showman smile and clapped his hands together shutting a few holograms he was working on and turning to the other.

"Good answer, so what do you need grump?" James looked taken back once again, Tony nearly flinched at the fact him made him look more like when he first came to the tower. Maybe the man don't like to be called anything but his names.

"The arm is acting up, reaction time is slower than normal, as well as I can't gauge the strength of when I grab things. Crushed a cup the other day and a plate." James shuffled his feet again.

Seems like Barnes would only come talk to him, if he was in need. Tony mentally shrugged more awake then he was when james first appeared. "Alright, do you want me to look over it or have it scanned and see what I can do before I touch the arm?"

"Scanned." The answer was immediate and swift.

"Alright, just stand there for a few minutes." Tony had called to Jarvis to start scanning, he had told James to move only a few times, so he could get a clearer scan. "Done, you can go or you can watch me fiddle with holograms." Tony shrugged and turned to the holographs of Barnes' arm, he had started to look through the wires seeing which would do what and which causes the most damage. Or trying to, it was a bit hard since he only had simulation to go and not James' reactions to rely on.

"If you need I can give you hydra's schematics on the arm." A voice rumbled way to close for Tony to be comfortable with it, he scooted away and looked towards the voice to see Barnes still in the workshop.

"Thought you would've left, no actually makes sense for you not to leave probably don't trust me with it. Anyway schematics, they would help. Yep." Tony rambled trying to calm his heart and head from racing.

James looked unfazed by the genius' ramblings "How long will it take to figure this out, when I get you the data?"

"Depends on how much I have to file go through, but at most a day." Stark shrugged and looked at James for a few seconds, though his eyes fell to the dark letters that stained the area where the shoulder met neck. 'ybear' were the letters he could see. He nearly opened his mouth to ask what the rest of the word was, but quickly shoved that thought from his head, he didn't care they were just words that meant nothing except to tie you to one person you could hate for the rest of your life.

"I'll show mine if you show yours, doll." He had a near smile, like he couldn't decide if he wanted to smile. But Tony's mind was stuck on doll, maybe it was a Brooklyn thing. Stark wouldn't know he didn't mingle around with people, preferring bots to people or maybe he liked them because they wouldn't walk away from him.

"Sorry buckaboo I don't share well." His mouth moved, but Tony's mind was somewhere completely different. He was digging himself into a deeper hole as his mind raced.

"Your loss Antoska, I don't disappoint." Was he flirting? This brought Tony's brain to stop. First it was numb shocked, it was a coincidence nothing more; pure accident. It was only said once, so not a nickname just accident. Next his mind jeered a super solider flirting with him? No way, he was trying something out, probably seeing if he still could get anyone he wants. Cap did say the guy was a flirt back in the day. Yep, there is plenty of Tony's in the world it was common.

"I don't doubt that James." The flirting was natural for Tony, it slipped of his tongue like water. James smiled, tony liked his smile it's shows how far he had come to even smile at him. Then it was gone and so was Barnes, tony blinked and heard the the door close to the lab. Tony sat for a few seconds, before shaking the last few minutes off and throwing himself into his work.

James stopped by the next morning to drop the files off, he didn't linger said he was on his way to his morning run with Steve. Tony waved him off and continued on his projects. James became a regular down in the lab, sitting and the couch or even the bench to watch Tony work. Tony believed it was just him wanting to make sure he wasn’t screwing with anything in the file or adding to the schematics on the arm. But Barnes asked questions about what he was working on, how something worked, or what a certain thing did. He always slipped in Antoshka or doll whenever he saw fit, and Tony would be lying if it didn't make his heart skip, which was most likely bad for his health. Tony started to expect the times where James would walk through the door. James started to drag Tony out of his lab whenever he saw fit too, which made the team start to demand him out more and more for team bonding. He even had a seat on the couch between the two super soldiers, where before he would linger near the doorway before leaving.

They were having a team movie night since Thor was in the tower for a while and he wanted to watch strange magic, none of them wanted to tell the asgardian no because of that wounded puppy look he would get when he was told no, Tony even saw Natasha cave to that look. So they piled in the living room each seated in their respected place, Steve and Bucky were bickering over who would hold the bowl of popcorn. Tony picked up the bowl and plopped himself in between the two.

"Now children no bickering, I'll hold onto the bowl." Tony leaned onto Bucky's side.

"Thought you had a project to finish doll. We figured you'd stay down there tonight." Bucky's metal arm was around the genius

"And face the wrath of Thor's sad face, yea no"They slipped into silence as the movie was pulled up.

Tony was really enjoying the cartoon because of the songs he could sing along to, he had a few snacks thrown at him he would grin and sing along louder. The mechanic settled back against Bucky, his eyes looked to the flesh arm that was showing, bucky had finally felt comfortable enough to go without long sleeves or a jacket to show his arms again without flinching every time someone gazed at his metal arm for too long. His heart stopped as he gazed at the black letters that trailed down his wrist. It was in a familiar scrawl he wrote in. It was the nickname he had settled on last week, Tony stilled.

The next moment he was up and making an excuse of last minute projects that needed his attention. His back pressed against the elevator as he rode down, his arms curled around himself before stumbling off the elevator and into his lab. It was coincidence, Tony didn't deserve a soulmate he would screw it up if he did have one.

He slid on the floor tucking his knees to his chest, he can't have a soulmate. The shaking began and his breaths turned to sobs, he tried to hold his breath and breathe normally but it came out rushed. He stayed curled into a ball for who knows how long, well Jarvis probably knew, but he finally controlled his breathing enough to slow his racing heart and shove his panic down deep enough so it wouldn't bother him for a few days or weeks if he was lucky. Tony pushed himself back up on shaky legs, Dummy was nearby chirping quietly. "I'm alright." His voice still held a watery tone, but he gave the bot a soft smile and patted the claw.

Tony threw himself into his work after that, spent days in his workshop on total lockdown. He made a new arm for Barnes, fixed several of Clint's arrows, made new gadgets for Natasha, fixed up what he could in Steve's suit, even made two new phones for R&D to sell. All to ignore his predicament of maybe Bucky being his soulmate. Pepper tried contacting him, so did Rhodes, but he ignored all of them. Jarvis reminded him to eat and sleep if he came too close to crashing, he also nagged Tony on getting out and seeing the team. That had become worried since Tony ran out of movie night and hidden himself away, but tony told Jarvis to insist he was fine.

Tony managed to hide away for the next two days before he was picked up off his workbench and out the workshop before he realized what was happening. "Hey-"

"You've been done there for two weeks, it doesn't look like you have even changed your clothes." Of course Barnes had to be the one that got him.

"I have important projects that need my attention." Tony crossed his arms as he was set down near the elevator.

"No you don't, Pepper actually called me to get you out of your workshop. Jarvis even let me in, so you know you've been doing something wrong." Bucky blocked his way back to the lab, but Tony froze.

Something wrong? No he was good at making things it was why he was useful. Keeping his team safe and company afloat, that was good. If he was doing something wrong they would get rid of him, he knew that. He was only-

"Quit that, I meant you're not taking care of yourself. We are worried, I'm worried about you." Bucky stood a tad closer "What's bothering you Antoska?"

The name again, coincidence his mind repeated over and over. He didn't deserve a soulmate, especially Barnes he probably had someone much better than Tony, waiting for him. "Nothing's bothering me, just had a lot of work to get done is all." James didn't look convinced, but nodded and moved them into the elevator his hand on Tony's lower back.

"You should go up to your floor and change, maybe get a shower." James looked at him, then his eyes flicked to the ceiling as he told Jarvis that that's where they will go. The ride was silent, James stared forward until they reached Tony's floor then he looked towards the genius.

"I can shower myself." Tony muttered stepping off

"I think I'll stay, don't want you running off and hiding away again doll." Bucky followed him off. "We are having just a night of sitting in tonight, since it's not like villains to leave us alone for two weeks."

"You've just jinxed us you know that right?" Tony went to his bedroom to grab a some new clothes.

"I doubt it." James took a seat on the couch and it was weird Tony didn't like people in his space, the lab and penthouse was his sanctuary, he didn't allow most entry but James had bypassed a lot of his own defenses without Tony even knowing it. Tony showered, brush his teeth and walked back out dressed and feeling better than he did before. "Hey." Barnes smiled as he stood up, walking closer to tony. "You look better, still look like you need sleep but you no longer look like death."

"Is that what you say to all the guys Metallica?" Tony rolled his eyes

"Only the ones I really like Antoska." The smile stayed as he looked at the other man. Tony made a noncommittal noise and stepped past him.

"Which one are those? Steve and Clint?" He said over his shoulder near the elevator

"Sam's a good guy, so is Thor." James walked beside him. "So are you Antoska" His voice was softer than Tony heard it.

"I know I am. One of the best technical minds to date, and I'm a superhero." There was an undertone of sarcasm to his voice.

"You've housed your team, took in an ex-hydra agent. You've helped the world Antoska, you've helped your team. You're not just a brain or ironman, you are many things Tony." Bucky gripped his shoulder making him stay in place.

"Anyone would have done it." He shrugged and stepped away from the supersoldier. "We should go down, it's late they'll be waiting." Tony stepped into the elevator as it opened.

"Antoska wait." James stepped into the elevator

"Can't exactly go anywhere Metallica." He leaned against the wall, with his arms crossed.

"I..." He paused "Seating arrangement has changed. Steve sits with Clint now."

"I lost one of my body heaters? To Clint? Aren’t you two are attached at the hip."

"Well they are trying something out, apparently they have each soulmarks." Tony flinched at the word, but nodded

"Good for them. They shouldn't be pushed together because of the ink on their skin, but it's good I'll no longer have to see those longing looks."

"You don't believe in soulmates?" Tony didn't look at the brunet.

"No, they are just words. You could be stuck with someone you hate, or someone who doesn't even have your marks but you have theirs." Tony shrugged "They don't mean anything, just words and words mean nothing." Tony eyes stayed firmly on the wall.

"I think they are meant to give you a push, they aren't there to tie you to one person. It would be your choice to stay beside them, not some foreign entity that demands you be together."

"Have you found your soulmate?" Tony looked at James who was looking at the wall in front of him as Tony had done.

"Yea, I think so." A small smile lit up his face as he turned his head to look at Tony.

"Are they alive or were they back in the war?" Tony started to fiddle with his sleeve, maybe he was mistaken and it was coincidence that he called James bear for a week.

"Why the sudden interest thought you didn't believe in soulmarks?" There was no judgement on James' face, but Tony still took it as a way of him saying he was prying and should leave it alone.

"Well you believe, so I thought I ask." The genius looked towards the ground.

"He's alive, he doesn't believe in the soulmarks but I think he's frightened to let someone that close." Tony's eyes snapped back up. "Do you have soulmarks Antoska?" James was closer now, but seemed they arrived at the common area. Tony went to move around the supersoldier.

"Doesn't matter does it? They are just words." Tony stepped off the elevator "but yes I do. Two actually." Tony walked off feeling the need to bury himself in work again but he wouldn't yet. Coincidences all it was, not fate and not soulmates. Tony almost laughed as he walked into the kitchen, a supersoldier and him? Of course James would have someone else's soulmarks and Howard would he proven right. Tony put on his showman smile and greeting the team in the living room, everyone was settled around the coffee table setting up a board game.

"Tony! Back from the dead. Good to see you man." Clint nearly shouted at the sight of the genius, it was obvious when Tony himself away no one was talking to fast for anyone to understand, or even signing to fast for clint to understand. No one hogging the coffee machine, it was a hole that Tony left when he hid and he didn't even realise it. "You playing clue with us?"

"I've been banned from the lab, so it looks like I'm stuck with you lot." Tony sat next to Thor and Steve "isn't there to many of us to play clue?"

"We're playing teams. You and Bucky are on a team since you were last to show.”

There were four teams, Clint and Natasha, Steve and Bruce, Thor and Sam, then Tony and James. They set up the board and claimed their pieces, Tony slouched over to James as he started to fall asleep his head fell onto the soldier's shoulder, he curled to the other side. Losing focus when asked what he thought he shrugged as his eyes drooped close.

Tony woke up in his own bed, his breath hitched as the nightmare faded from his minds eye. His fingers twitched with the want of something to do and his mind swirled with ideas to distract himself. Most likely he was still banned from his lab by Jarvis until tomorrow

Tony joined the team for lunch, looking like dummy broke his new invention, which did happen once. He already taken six cups of coffee to wake himself up. He sat between the two super soldiers, it made Steve smile because how much Tony has come around to hang out with the team even if Bucky had to drag him out of the lab at times to get him to socialize. 

Bucky had come to him when he started to think he found who his soulmate was, Steve had pushed him to get together with his soulmate or try to at least. Steve watched the two of them interact and the blond hoped that Tony also had Bucky's word, but Tony always kept his words to himself, always leaving conversation when soulmarks came into the conversation. Steve had begun to think tony didn't have any soulmarks, but Bucky had said he had two which had the brunet smiling for the rest of the day since he had two favorite nicknames to call Tony. Tony leaned closer to Bucky with a frown reaching for the soldier cup, but the other smiled and held it out of his reach before getting up and fixing Tony a cup of coffee.

"You shouldn't be helping his caffeine addiction, he already has a bad heart." Natasha stared down Bucky, but the brunet shrugged and gave the cup to Tony. Tony looked ready to curl around the cup if Natasha moved an inch, the redhead rose an eyebrow at the gesture. Buck sat back down placing his arm along the back of Tony's chair sharing a look with Steve over Stark's head, but when Tony didn't seemed bothered with the invasion of personal space not even a glance as the brunet leaned back in his chair with the cup cradled to his chest. Before Tony would have leaned as far away as he could from most people if he didn't expect someone to touch him, now he nearly welcomed the small touched even initiated some.Clint had walked by with plates balanced on his arm for the avengers that were present, setting each in front of one of them.

"You cook?" Tony looked from the plate to the archer.

"What you think I survived on plants and small animals when on missions?" Clint took a seat next to Steve, brushing his hand against Steve's arm in greeting.

"Actually yes, or Natasha cooked for you." Tony shrugged and poked at his food with a fork.

"Thaaaanks tones, you know exactly what to say to make a guy swoon don't you?" The archer rolled his eyes, as Tony smile turned devilish.

"Believe me I could charm almost anyone to swoon."

"Not Rhodey." Clint pointed out

"Well there was this one time back in MIT when-" Tony started

"There is no way, Rhodey would never swoon."

"You could always ask him if you don't believe me, he'll admit it." Clint crossed his arms and huffed. Tony smiled like he knew he won, Steve placed a hand on the Archer's knee.

Lunch passed with bickering and maybe a few foods thrown, Bucky tried to keep a hand on or near Tony, Tony did the same to Bucky though he looked a bit surprised to find his hand brushing against Bucky's own quite a few times. Natasha stood after everyone was done and took their plates away to wash them.

"We should go do some games." Clint declared

"I swear I will punch you through a wall if you say Mario kart." James threatened

"You guys can't seriously play it that much." Tony said looking at the brunet.

"Every time Clint wants to play a game it Mario kart or tomb raider." Steve spoke up

"Hey, your not suppose to agree with him." The Archer looked about ready to pout.

"Well it's true." The blond shrugged and stood "How about you let us pick the game and if we don't like it we will play Mario kart. Sound good?" Clint pouted but nodded

"How about mortal combat?" Natasha said over her shoulder, the other voiced their agreement as Nat put the last of the dishes away. The team piled in the living room, Clint and Steve taking up a couch the others on another couch. Natasha stretched her legs over the other two as she took a corner of the couch, Tony told Jarvis to put their chosen game in.

"I play first!" Clint quickly said as he grabbed a controller, he tossed one at Natasha who caught it with ease. They played the best of three but Nat quickly won each round. The controller was passed to play the winner of the round, Tony watched the ease that everyone had with each other, the casualness they all had. Even with him Natasha tossing her legs over him and James pulling him to his side, he had never believed he would have this with anyone except Rodney and Pepper, didn't think he deserved to have someone trust him enough to be so open with him, he looked at James next to him. Maybe it wasn't the worst thing in the world to have someone soul marks, maybe he would be okay if he just had James' friendship no need to ruin something good.

"Antoshka it's your turn." James was holding the controller out to him.

Tony took a quick look around to see Clint holding a controller as well. He choose his character and he almost snorted when he saw Clint's weird centaur character. Tony ended up winning, to which Clint called cheat because tony was a genius.

"Hey, Steve is a tactical genius and he lost.” Nat pointed out

"Because he doesn't understand video games."

"I'm pretty sure if he can figure out the working of the stark phone within a day, he can figure out a game. Besides you got beat by Natasha too." Tony shrugged, keeping his eyes on Clint watching as they darted around trying to come up with something to find a flaw in Tony's logic. But he eventually passed the controller to Steve.

Steve seemed to finally figure out how the game worked and Tony had to keep his attention to the screen, unless he wanted lose. "Told ya, Capsicle just needed a bit to understand the workings of the game." The genius threw at Clint as he finished a combo, but Steve ending up winning the round. Tony tossed the controller next to him as the alarm went off.

Clint groaned as he stood "Just when I thought we were having a vacation."

"You should know we are never that lucky. I want everyone at the quinjet in 5." Steve said as they all went their separate ways to suit up.

When they got to the middle of the central park, tony wasn't that surprised to see a giant machine making all sorts of mismatched creatures.

"I have eyes on whatever the hell that is, its seems to be piecing together animals." Tony spoke over the comms

"Any way to shut it down?"

"Working on it Cap." The words were a bit tense as a bird monkey latched onto him "Taking this out of Oz?" Tony grunted as he tossed the animal.

"Tones I need a vantage point."

The battle continued as more creatures poured out, Clint was on boundary patrol, so was Nat. Tony was taking the animals that flee and tried to figure out the machine, while cap and James kept the land creatures on them.

"I think I can shut it down, but I'll need someone to cover my six." Tony said as he swooped closer to what he thought was the power source

"Bucky you cover Stark, I'll keep them busy." James nodded as he took off to where Tony would be.

"Decided to have a party a not invite me?" James said he saw the small crowd of creatures.

"You must've not have gotten the invitation Bucky Bear." Tony landed next to him. "They seem to have a hive mind, protect what keeps them alive and attack what doesn't belong. Simple and dangerous, I can start on dismantling the power source, you just need to keep them busy." James nodded and went to work as soon as the words left Tony's mouth and for a few seconds he stood in awe of the way James moved, Tony had seen James spar with the others a few times but this was different no smart comments thrown, just coldness that was but close to the winter soldier but not quite. James seemed to sense where something would move and either countered or dodged.

"You gonna stare or you gonna get moving doll?" James threw over his shoulder, it brought a smile to Tony's face almost the winter soldier but not quite.

"Just enjoying the show." Tony said as he flew over to the power source, he took a look at the wires after tearing off the plate. "It's a mess of wires I'll need a few to figure this out." Tony started the scan and picking out which seem able to shut this down.

"Not trying to alarm anyone, but where's the guy who made this, shouldn't we have some person monologuing about humanity?" Clint spoke up

"Maybe it's better that we don't." James said sounding like he was speaking through his teeth

Tony stayed quiet as he started to rip cords that seemed to be powering the circuit. As he started to pull the last one that should shut the circuit off, a blow to his side made him fly off his feet landing near the middle of the circle. A figure lumbered toward him. Tony groaned and lifted himself. "Found our guy." 

The guy looked like a rhino mixed with human features, and he stands at least two feet over Tony.

"Antoska? You alright?" James said over comms

"Yea, just winded and need to undent the armor." Tony looked up at the giant, as expected he was going about how humanity needed to be taught a lesson and how his invention would help. "James you are still close to the power source, I need to pull the only blue wire."

"Give me a moment." Tony spared a glance to where James was surrounded by animals but seemed to be handling himself well enough. When Tony looked back the giant, he seemed to be done with monologuing.

"What? I'm suppose to be impressed you made a machine that I could have made when at sixteen." He said as he started to formulate a plan to thin the crowd around James

"Stark, isn't it better to not anger the mutant rhino?" Nat's voice interrupted Tony's thoughts

"I get it, you hate humanity. Hurrah you're like every other villain we've taken down. And you will be taken down, because you're not strong enough to take even one of the avengers down." Tony watched as the crowd near James started to circle around him.

The soldier seemed to finally get what the other was doing "You're a horrible genius doll, I could've handled them." Tony rolled his eyes as he watched the brunet head to the power source.

The suit moved up as one of the bigger animals tried to tackle him, but quickly fell as the machine started to power down. "As I said, you're not nearly as strong or smart as you think you are." The rhino glared at Tony as he jumped to pull the suit back down to earth. He didn't seem to be affected by the loss of power, which meant he wasn't connected to the machine. Tony was headbutted by the would be villain and once again thrown, he quickly regained his bearings as he stood and charged up his repulsors. Firing them once then again, the rhino shook off the first hit but stumbled at the second, it was a wide enough window for James to jump on the beast back and get a wire around his throat holding him until the rhino fell.

Tony flipped up his faceplate as James climbed off the beast back. "That was a horrible plan, you know that?"

Metal shoulders shrugged "Most plans are absolutely horrid, but they usually work." The soldier shook his head as the rest of the team ran to the scene, Tony got a the 'we are going to have a talk' look from Steve which didn't surprise him in the slightest.

"How about you don't taunt giant rhinos, that could rip you apart next time?" Clint hit his shoulder, he shook out his hand the next second.

The team piled the creatures for easier clean up, the stuck the rhino to his machine they waited for the authorities before heading back to the tower. Tony headed down to the lab to work on his armor, he couldn't go out with dented almost torn metal or it would be a variable he couldn't predict. He worked into the night, the sun was beginning to rise as the door to the lab opened.

"Come on genius, you need sleep.' A hand was on his shoulder.

"I'm fine, need to fix these micro fractures in the suit." Tony shrugged the hand off as he picked up his blowtorch.

"I'm sure Jarvis can handle the small details for tonight."

"I believe I can." Jarvis said in reply

Tony sighed "Time J."

"It is currently eight fifteen, Sir has gone almost twenty seven hours without sleep." The AI said dutifully

"Yep definitely bedtime." The blowtorch was taken from his hand and placed on the workbench, so were the goggles that were protecting his eyes. "There we are."

Tony shook of the hands and stood "Fine, fine. J, see what you can do about the factures. Alert me if there are any damages that I didn't see." The genius said as he was led out the door and toward the elevator. "And don't let the bots near the equipment, I don't want to wake up to a fire."

"Of course, sir." Was heard as the elevator closed and Tony finally looked at the other who pulled him from his work.

Its was of course James, who looked like he rolled out of bed. "Why were you the one to get me out of the lab?" The sentence was interrupted by a yawn.

The other shrugged "Can't let our local genius run himself into the ground."

"I've gone longer without sleep."

"Which is why you need someone looking after you. You're still human Antoska and have needs like the rest of us." The soldier looked near ready to fall asleep as well.

Tony shook his head, people always say he needed looked after but he can take care of himself. People needed to look after themselves, not look after him. Jarvis did that anyway, Pepper did at one time as well but like most she couldn't handle it.

"Antoshka, you have more than you think. The avengers worry and try to keep you from going on these beiges" James was closer now, his hand on Tony's shoulder. He moved it up to be under his jaw "We won't walk away, haven't and won't."

Tony said nothing as his eyes trailed along the others arm, there were more words.Bear, grump and up on his shoulder was Buckybear. The mechanic shoved down whatever was building in his chest as he looked up to the others face, blue eyes that looked tired but looked open. Tony moved away as the elevator opened, he walked into his room already stripping out of his clothes and pulling on another tank top and sweatpants. He was only half surprised to see the soldier had not left but rather stepped into his room. "Its rude to stare." Tony said has he looked at the other.

"You know we always seem to have important conversations on the elevator where you can quickly leave." James crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway.

"How many soulmarks do you have?" The genius said quickly, the soldier raised his eyebrow. "I'm just curious you have three on you arm, do you have more?"

"I do, I had two more on the other arm. I also have a few scattered along the rest of my body." James straightened "My soul mate seems like he can't settle on just one."

Tony shook his head, and sat on his bed. "Does anyone ever call you your soulmarks, but aren't soulmate?"

James walked over to the bed, and sat on the bed as well. "Why the sudden interest Antoska?"

"Forget I said anything." Tony waved his hand

"Yes, they have. I'm sure that happens when you have more than one soulmark." 

"Then how do you know when you find your soulmate?" Tony wanted to get up and walk away from this conversation, he shouldn't even be entertaining the idea of his soulmarks.

"By sticking around, seeing if they call you any others or it was just a one off thing." James shrugged

"So, you can never truly be sure if your soulmate is in fact yours."

"Maybe, but I'm willing to take chances on people. Maybe they end up being my soulmate, maybe they don't. It's like every relationship, could work or fail."

Tony looked at the other, studying his profile. He didn't understand how someone could risk losing someone they believed to be their soulmate and it be ripped away from them, but James seemed to stand firmly on his belief. 

"Well, I've waxed on enough. I'm sure you want sleep." James went to stand

"Or you could stay? I mean I don't mind listening to you, it's relaxing in a way." The genius ran a hand through his hair, mussing the already messed up locks.

The soldier smiled and sat back down "Alright, but only because you asked so nicely Antoska." 

James had told stories of what he could remember from the war ot even a things that happened around the tower that Tony wasn't around for. The two ended up lying down after a few minutes since Tony's eyelids started to droop, James curled his metal arm under the almost asleep genius. "You can leave if you want." The words were mumbled, but thanks to his enhanced hearing the soldier could make sense of it.

"I'm good where I am." James pressed his face to the top of the others head, Tony played with the metal fingers near him.

"Whatever you say Metallica." This time the words dropped off as Tony drifted into sleep.

"Trust me Antoska, I'm good." Metal fingers curled around flesh ones "I'm really good." James smiled as he relaxed into near sleep. It was nice to have another body close to him, made him feel further out of Hydra's grasp then when he was alone. He never thought he would feel like he could trust himself to be someone as vulnerable as someone sleeping not after everything with Hydra, not after the screaming nightmares where Steve had to hold him down when he tried to fight his way out of the tower, not after his near relapse when he spared with Natasha. But he had come far after those first months of staying at the avengers tower, his nightmares became more spread out and his relapses almost disappeared. He still had them every now and again but not near as often as he use to, now he could trust himself to be around small crowds without wanted to run and find a vantage point away from the noise. It felt good.

When tony woke up, he was almost uncomfortably warm and surprised that James had actually stayed and was still asleep, their legs had become a tangled mess and his hand was wrapped around James'. Tony went to untangle himself but a strong arm around his waist pulled him back to the soldier's chest. James mumbled into his back before settling again. "James, I do have a suit to fix."

"It can wait, I'm comfy." The others voice was gravely from sleep still and Tony felt the vibrations of it on his back.

"What if we get a call and my suit isn't in top shape." Tony craned his neck to side eye the soldier, who eye was only part way cracked open.

"Then I have your six." Tony huffed at the words "What don't trust me Antoska?" Tony could feel the smile against his shoulder

Tony shook his head, there was an undercurrent of amusement when he spoke "You're impossible." He said as he flopped his head back down.

"Antoska," James leaned up on his elbow to look down at Tony "There is something I want to ask."

"Are you asking me for permission to ask a question? How unlike you." Tony turned himself a bit to look at the other. "What is it?"

"What are your soulmarks?" Tony nearly flinched away "I just need to know, you always distract someone to another topic if it's brought up."

"Why is it so important, I told you I don't believe in them." There was a slight bite to the genius' voice.

The other shrugged "Please Doll. I think we might have each other soulmarks." There it was said out loud, what Tony's head screamed and compiled list about how these were coincidence, was said out loud and the genius had nowhere to hide from it.

"James, you said yourself you can't know for sure. What if someone else comes along, which they will and they call you your soulmarks? People don't stick around me, Metallica so there is no point in even getting our hopes up." Tony pushed at the arm caging him and sat up.

"I want to try with you Antoshka." There was an incurrent of emotion in the soldier's voice

"I'm not relationship material, you don't want someone like me." Tony moved to the edge of the bed.

"And I am? I'm an ex-assassin, who was brainwashed to destroy what stood against Hydra. Nobody in there right mind would go after someone like me." James sighed and ran his hand through his hair, stopping a few times from the knots in his hair. "I just want to know."

"I don't. Starks don't have soulmates, we end up alone." Tony stood he walked over to his dresser "Just let it go." He couldn't, couldn't get his hopes up, people don't stay they almost always walk away from him. He didn't deserve a soulmate, he couldn't drag James down on one of his spirals, James deserved someone who was good for him.

"You don't have to Antoshka, you won't end up alone." The soldier was still sitting in the bed, his hand fiddled with the blanket. Even if Tony didn't have his soulmarks he would stand beside him.

"You can't know that."

"I can, Rhodey will be there, Steve, Clint, Natasha, Thor, Bruce. Hell even Jarvis will be there. You have so much more then you allow yourself to see." James gotten up from the bed and stood near Tony. Tony shoulders hunched forward, his head fell forward.

"Antoshka and Doll," The words were almost silent, barely a whisper. The genius turned around facing the other "those are my soul marks. Do what you will with that, I have a suit to fix." Tony went around the soldier to out of his bedroom door. Coincidence, that what this chalks up to James even said it himself, he was called his soulmarks. The soldier was probably laughing at the idea that he was actually his soulmate.

A hand gripped at his arm spinning him around, arms wrapped around him as he crushed to a muscular chest. "Why do you always walk away from serious conversations?"

"I don't do serious." Tony stood still from the sudden contact

A laugh rumbled from James' chest "I know. You know you are one of the only people to call me James, it's one my soul marks. Antoshka please, let me take a chance with us." James pulled back a bit to look at the other "I want to try if you want to as well."

Tony searched the others face for something, but there was only sincerity. It was the look Pepper had when she first started talking about them. "If you're going to look at me like that, I guess I have no choice." Tony went for flippancy when he spoke, but when saw the smile stretch across James' face he figured this, whatever they would become would be alright. He would be alright with trying this out.

Soulmarks are meant to help you find your soulmate as a scientist Tony looked at them a bit closer then he use to, as a person Tony looked to the man next to him that was holding him close and laughing openly and figured that maybe having soul marks wasn't something to be ashamed of. He knew he made the right choice in giving him and James a chance, he wouldn't change it for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly did not expect to be so long, suggestion was 1,000-2,000 words I wrote a whooping 7,601 words. But I think it will hold a special place in my heart.  
> I'm so glad to have found the WinterIron spring fling it was super fun even if my friends did hear me complain about the length. Which they heard quite a lot of.  
> I'm also super glad I got to gift someone who I adore reading, keep up the amazing work.  
> Anyway I hoped you enjoyed the story as much I enjoyed writing it. Loves.


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